Lis Neris

The estate of Lis Neris is situated in the town of San
Lorenzo—part of the Isonzo subregion of Friuli—which
lies within close proximity of the Slovenian border.
Currently in its fourth generation, Lis Neris entered
its modern period in the 1990s, when current proprietor
Alvaro Pecorari assumed direction, effectually instituting
a whole new regime comprising not only technical and
operational improvements, but modern viticultural techniques
and approaches as well. Lis Neris possesses nearly 100
acres of vines spread across four discrete vineyard sites—Gris,
Picol, Jurosa, and Neris—which demonstrate a distinct
preference for the international members of Friuli’s
extensive white varietal canon—Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon
Blanc (frequently referred to simply as Sauvignon),
Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, and Riesling; Tocai
Friulano represents the native contingent. Pecorari declines
to emulate familiar international expressions, following
a stylistic orientation that is decidedly Friulian. In
fact, his three-tier portfolio essentially captures in
microcosm Friuli’s stylistic evolution and breadth.

In general, each level reflects a specific approach
and character, with all three collectively reflecting
a dramatic increase in complexity. The first tier—traditional—honors
the Friulian standard bearer, a crisp, clean white that
has enjoyed not only regional supremacy but recognition
as the nation’s foremost expression of a white
varietal. The late Mario Schiopetto championed this naked
form, which essentially came to constitute the paradigm
for the quintessential Italian white. Thus, all of the
whites in the traditional group are fermented and refined
exclusively in stainless steel, ensuring their privileging
of the grapes’ intrinsic characters, intensified
by aging on the lees.

In the second bracket, Pecorari maintains his focus
on the distinct properties of individual varietals, yet
trades in stainless steel for 500-liter French oak barrels,
fashioning particularly rich and concentrated expressions.
Each member of the trio is also sourced from a single
site, thereby providing an incisive translation of terroir.
Of particular interest here is the Gris Pinot Grigio,
a bottling that doesn’t merely redefine, but actually
reimagines a much maligned and misunderstood varietal,
allowing it to show a side of itself that is not only
rare, but unprecedented for most. As with its fellow
cru bottlings, Picol Sauvignon and Jurosa Chardonnay,
the Gris Pinot Grigio undergoes fermentation in French
oak, followed by maturation on the lees in the same vessel.
The appreciable contact with the lees provides for a
particularly rich and unique character. Intense Pinot
Grigio may seem an oxymoron, but Gris makes a demonstrative
statement about what Lis Neris considers Pinot Grigio
to be.

The Riserva level is primarily dedicated to white blends
aged in French oak, with the one exception being the
estate’s eponymous Lis Neris bottling, a Merlot-based
effort featuring a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Its
white counterpart, Lis, is generally considered to be
the most intense of the white blends. A blend of Chardonnay,
Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon, it is barrel-fermented in
French oak, followed by ten months’ maturation
on the lees in the barrels employed for fermentation.
The other white blends are Confini and Fatto in Paradiso,
both of which are late-harvest wines, and Tal Lùc,
a passito bottling.